Nursing devices



J. J. HORAN NURSING DEVICES Feb. 17, 1953 Filed Jan. 21 1950 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 NURSING DEVICES John' 'J. Horan, Willow Grove, -Pa. .ApplicationJanua-ry 21, 1950, SerialNo."1'39,818

'11 Claims.

invention relates to devices forpackaging .liquid infant food. Itembodies novel and improved. means not specifically shown, althoughconsidered r included; i in myv earlier applications, -Nos.;' 9772 -234through 772,239 for such devices. At the time of earlier application Ifelt it dosirable to keep the applications as briefas'possible andanticipated that these and other specific novel constructions would beinclusively covered by allowable claims. Since Oifice actions to .date.makelit appear that. the claims allowed will be .narrower in scope thatIthad -expected,' it appears advisable to disclose the generic anddetailed :constr'uctionsand to seek-the additional measure of protectionthey specifically merit. Thishapplication isltherefore submitted incontinuation. 'in part :of disclosures in applications Nos. 772,234through 772,239 inclusive.

These constructions are generically similar, and'all ofthem relate tomeans for sealing nursing nipples to prevent premature leakage there-'l'throu'gh; "the creation of such means being an obj'ect'of thisinvention.

- obj'ectof this invention is to provide nursing nipple. constructionswhereby the nursing "nipple itself contains an initial seal whichpositively prevents passage of liquid infant food out *ofthe feedingorifice and prevents any air from enteringand oarryingorganisms'to thefood, the seal being capable of being readily broken by the parentwith-out touching. the nipple with the fini'gers. of any extraneousdevice.

A1 IO.theT "object of this invention: is "to provide se'als havingra wendefined plane of'weakness, v whereby. thesize' of the sucking :orificeispredetermined in the manufactureof the nipple.

@An o'bj'ecttofthi's" invention. istoprovide sealing means adaptable toany methodof fabrication of J'the. nipples or containers having nipplesincorporated therewith; whether by injection, compres- "sion or'transfermolding, impact or tubular ex- .itrusion, :manufacture from sheet stock,heat '-"seam-1ng, etc.

An object of this invention is to provide a sealed nipple constructioncapable of permitting .isyringeloading f ihe containe'r through thenipple with subsequent sealing at the point of :injection.

znn' object 'of this invention is to provide a closed nipple orificeconstruction permitting the "parent to remove. the closure element insuch a "manner as to provide a selective range of sucking.eorifi'ceopening areas.

Further objects and novel features of my innvention will become apparentthe balance of designed .topermitthe parent optionally to out i theorifice walls 3. y l is a weaksection at the juncture of the orificewalls 3 andthe .pull element 4. Bygrasping and the specification, intheclaims appended, in'the drawings and in the following description of theflexible nursing containers (one shown in section), each having a nipplein accordancewith my invention; g i

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view offa nipple as in Fig. 1, 'afterunsealing;

Fig. 3 is an illustration of essenti lly the same embodiment as those inFig. 1, here shown a'dapted to and assembled to a difi ere'nt type ofvessel, this vessel .being particularly suited to manufacture fromglass;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a nipple as in Fig. 3, afterunsealing; Fig. 5.is a cross sectional view of bodiment of my invention;I N

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the lower portionof the deviceshown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional viewof a. third embodiment of myinvention prior to. unsealing;

and

Fig. 8Lis a fragmentary sectional view oflthe third embodiment afterunsealing.

Referring now .to Figs. 1 and.2, there'areshown two nipples I, onebeingin section, the other a second emshown externally. The nipple I has atapered orifice 2 having orifice walls 3 of taperingthickness and a pullelement 4 integrally molded to -It will be seenthat there pulling thepull element 4 it may be separated from the walls- 3, thus providingsucking access to the contents through the orifice 2. Thenipplecontinues .on through the skirt portion 5 130.134

peripheral portion 6-, which is adherently attached totherim of .thebody 8ofthe holding vessel, which containsa supply of liquid .inf'antfood9.f A plurality of filled assembliescomprising vessels and nipples.may be 'sterilized'and enclosed in a hermeticallyisealed can orfi'askJll, having: lids .11 at either end. Upon opening the can, therewillbe no leakageor loose milk visible;

* andeach of the vesseland nipple assemblies may be individuallywithdrawn and opened.

-The tapered orifice 2.. and orifice walls3 are with a sc'alded bladethrough the wane below the pull element 4 when desired .to provide-an.orifice 30f: larger 1n1inimum-oross- .sectional area. "The taperedorifice feature, while desirablefor "many infants, may be eliminated ifselectively variable orifice area is not to be provided.

Selection of vessel and nipple materials impermeable to gas diffusionwill render it unnecessary to afford refrigerated storage for theprevention of spoiling of the liquid contents of the individual vesselsafter opening the outer container. However, some temporary protectionsuch as is afforded by refrigeration or recovering is desirable toretard the collection of organisms on the surfaces of the thus exposednipples.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the construction ofthe orifice 22 and the pull element 24 of the nipple 2| is similar tothat previously described, these two figures having been includedchiefly to show the versatility of the construction regardless of thetype of package in which it is employed. It will be seen that the planeof weakness between the nipple 2i and the pull element 24 is located atthe widest portlon of the orifice 22, instead of the narrowest as inFigs. 1 and 2, the orifice walls extending up into the pull element 25.Grasping detachment of the pull element 24 will cause the break to occurat the widest orifice area, but, if the pull element should be out 01fabove the plane of weakness instead of being pulled off, there will beprovided an orifice of smaller minimum cross sect onal area. The nipple2| is squeezed at its skirt portion 25 between the ca 28 and the rim 28of the vessel 30. thus effectively obturating by compression the nippleventing orifice '26 so that no initial leakage of liouid infant food 3!can take place throu h the nipple: and the per pheral portion 21 of thenip le skirt is cemented or otherwise adherentlv attached to the vesselin order to pre ent dislod ing the ni le u on priable removal of the cap29. whose skirt is crim ed over the nip le and vessel assembly in themanher of the Crown t pe closure.

. thereto. The adherence may be obtained by heat soft ning methods or bythe use of bonding agents, pressure adhering surfaces or partlycuredsurfaces. The ni ple 4| and vessel 48 as shown form an assembly hihly adaptable for forming in one p ece by such methods as are used forfo ming balloons or by im act forming or extrusion process. The t 43 ofth ni ple 4| is of extra thickness: and the orifice 42 is adapted torecei e a syringe for o t onal top in e t on of liduid infant food 48prior to the a plication of the pull elem nt 44. which is thereuponadherently att che by its base 45 to the tip 43 over the orifice 42 in amanner which will insure failure of the closure at the sealin juncturewhen tensile force is applied to the ull element 44, thus forming atemporarily completely sealed vessel and ni ple combination. Optionally,of course. the pull member could have been molded to the nipple as anintegral part in the manner of the prior embodiment.

Referring now to Figs. '7 and 8, there is shown a third embodiment of anipple capable of sealing off the contents of a vessel containing liouidinfant food against leakage of the foodpast the nipple orifice. Op ositesides 63 below the orifice 62 of the internal surface of the nipple BIare forced together. preferably by heat or pressure,

to form a seal along the plane where they meet,

rated by squeezing the vessel, if flexible, thus forcing liquid underpressure between them or by grasping and pulling the skirt of the nipple6| at opposite sides below the adhering surfaces, thus causing theirbond to fail.

It will be obvious that various combinations of nipples and holdingvessels are entirely feasible, as, for example, the nipple and/or pullelement constructions in Fig. 1 or 3 would be adaptable to the vesselshown in Fig. 5, or the sealing means in Figs. '7 and 8 could be appliedto the vessel nipple assemblies in Figs. 1, 3, or 5, etc. It will beapparent after reading this disclosure that various changes,modifications and combinations will become immediately obvious to othersskilled in the art without departing from the true and full scope of myinvention, in particular including elements of disclosures appearing inmy copending applications; and it is accordingly intended in theappended claims to cover such equivalents as may fall within the truescope of my invention and without the prior art. I wish it to beunderstood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific formor arrangement of parts herein described and shown or specificallycovered by my claims.

Therefore, I claim:

1. In a nursing nipple, a pull element borne by said nipple at the tipthereof.

2. A nursing nipple having at its tip an element substantially integraltherewith and capable of removal therefrom to provide a sucking 3. Anursing nipple having at its tip a small sealing protuberance forming'awall for a sucking orifice, said protuberance being capable of being cutoff to provide a sucking orifice.

4. A sealed nursing container having nipple means therewith, said meansbeing initially nonfunctionable as a nursing device by reason of anelement incorporated therein at the tip thereof forming a closure forsaid nipple, said element being capable of separation from said nipple.

5. A nursing device comprising a vessel portion and a nipple portion,said vessel portion having therein a supply of liquid infant food, saidnipple portion having a sucking orifice at the tip thereof, said nippleportion having adherently attached surfaces blocking the passage of saidfood out of said nipple.

6. In a package, an enclosure comprising a vessel portion holdingtherein a supply of liquid infant food and a nipple, having a suckingorifice initially closed by an element separable therefrom, said elementforming in conjunction with said nipple a seal for said enclosure.

7. In a nursing device carrying therein a supply of liquid infant food,a nipple closing one end thereof, said nipple having a sucking portion,a pull element on said sucking portion and forming a sealed juncturethereto, said juncture being relatively Weaker than said nipple and saidpull element, whereby said pull element is detachable from said nippleat said juncture.

8. In a nursing device, a nursing nipple having a pull element at thetip thereof, said nipple and said pull element having a juncturetherebetween, said juncture being weak so as to fail inelastically uponthe application of lifting force to said pull element, whereby afunctionable sucking orifice is created in said nipple upon the removalof said pull element.

9. A dispenser comprising a vessel having a supply of liquid infant foodtherein, said vessel being bounded at one end by nipple means, saidnipple means having an element externally detachable therefrom, wherebya sucking orifice for said nipple is opened upon the detachment of saidelement.

10. A nursing nipple having at the tip thereof an element, said elementconstituting a closure for said nipple, said element being initiallyremovable by Withdrawal from said nipple, whereby an unobturated suckingorifice is provided.

11. A nursing nipple having a passage for suckling, said passage havinga Wal1, said passage being closed initially by a surface adhering tosaid wall, said adhering surface being capable of direct withdrawal fromsaid Wall.

JOHN J. HORAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,344,760 Goddard June 29, 19202,093,130 Kurkjian Sept. 14, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date13,588 Great Britain 1907

4. A SEALED NURSING CONTAINER HAVING NIPPLE MEANS THEREWITH, SAID MEANSBEING INITIALLY NONFUNCTIONABLE AS A NURSING DEVICE BY REASON OF ANELEMENT INCORPORATED THEREIN AT THE TIP THEREOF FORMING A CLOSURE FORSUCH NIPPLE, SAID ELEMENT BEING CAPABLE OF SEPARATION FROM SAID NIPPLE.